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Direct TV Offering NASA HDTV in International Space Station
Posted by Brian Lam at 7:48 AM on November 17, 2007
When it comes to product placement, I can't think of a more high-profile scoop than the International Space Station. DirecTV is wisely offering NASA a chance to install a 42" HDTV, DirecTV Satellite DVR/receiver and a remote covered in Velcro to avoid losing the remote to spacewalk in the orbital lab. Guess you'd get tired of viewing the entire friggin' planet from space after a few days. [Forbes]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
Buji
Posted 6:59 PM 16/11/07
Shame on Forbes (and others) for not even thinking about the science and why this is impossible, and just being mouthpieces for DirecTV's PR.
Not only will there be the (previously) mentioned problem that the DirectTV satellites are geo-stationary, but I also understand that a significant amount of DirecTV's programming is delivered via spotbeam technology, which has to be pointed in the general direction of the customers that are expecting to receive it. Also, there's no land-lines in space, and anyone who's ever had the misery of talking to a Direct (or Dish for that matter) knows that they throw a fit if the receiver's not plugged into a phone line.
Don't even get me started on the Distant Network waiver that would be necessary to provide local programming.
Buji
hughjass
Posted 6:42 PM 16/11/07
@zarchitect:
Sarcasm is not your strong suit.
hughjass
zarchitect
Posted 6:23 PM 16/11/07
what's that satellite dish pointing to? Mars? uhm - i'm not a rocket scientist and all but doesn't that thing need to point towards a uhmm what's that called - oh yeah, a satellite!?
zarchitect
homerjay
Posted 5:30 PM 16/11/07
By the time they get this installed Comcast will probably have THIS market monopolized too.
homerjay
hughjass
Posted 5:27 PM 16/11/07
"DirecTV is wisely offering NASA"
What exactly is wise about this? Nice maybe, but wise?
hughjass
NNTPgrip
Posted 4:50 PM 16/11/07
So you arrive at the "pearly gates" and tell the man there. "Well, we blew up on re-entry, but at least I know who won American Idol..."
NNTPgrip
NZRUSS
Posted 4:45 PM 16/11/07
They should've gone with cable.
NZRUSS
bbfreak
Posted 4:34 PM 16/11/07
@PDSM: Eh, I'm sure Direct TV will be willing to pay for everything. After all it is just a great marketing ploy.
bbfreak
Emulsifide
Posted 4:22 PM 16/11/07
Man....I'd kill to be the install guy!
Emulsifide
Monty
Posted 4:15 PM 16/11/07
@BigDogues:
Right .. How would this even work? Half the time the satellite would be on the other side of the planet?? Clearly they know something we do not.
Monty
apeguero
Posted 4:14 PM 16/11/07
@BigDogues:
Yeah but those few hours are sure to provide one hell of a good, clear signal.
apeguero
BigDogues
Posted 4:09 PM 16/11/07
I hope DirecTV's dish has autotracking. D*TV's birds are in geostationary orbit but the ISS is not. Even then they would only get a few hours of viewing at a shot.
BigDogues
St3v3
Posted 4:02 PM 16/11/07
DirecTV has trouble making service calls back on earth. They make Qwest seem like a pleasure to deal with which is saying a lot.
St3v3
rbf2000
Posted 3:58 PM 16/11/07
They can't be working 24/7...
rbf2000
PDSM
Posted 3:57 PM 16/11/07
So where spending millions to get em into space to watch TV ??
PDSM
homerjay
Posted 11:56 PM 16/11/07
@Buji: What about the locals? Won't someone PLEASE think of the locals??
homerjay
Sockatume
Posted 8:12 AM 17/11/07
This is a stab in the dark, but perhaps they intend to use NASA's existing ISS comms infrastructure to send the programming up there? I doubt that they have anything suitable for beaming a signal to the ISS themselves, and it's not the sort of thing you invest in for a PR boost.
Sockatume
Galley
Posted 12:48 PM 17/11/07
@Buji:
My HD DVR and HD receiver have never been plugged into a phone line; neither of them have ever complained.
Galley
mrz2u
Posted 4:35 PM 20/11/07
I wonder two things. One, and I am too lazy to look it up right now, but isn't the ISS' orbit higher than direct/dish's birds which transmit down only? This is of course forgetting about their stationary orbits.
And secondly, yhey offered up the services. Really? And why does it really matter? I mean, this is NASA we are talking about, don't we think they would have this already if they wanted and without asking. Its not like they don't know how to set the dial in just the right spot. If anyone gave them any shit about it I imagine all they need to do is take a bag of rocks up there and just flick one out the window as they pass by and kinda like pumpkins and mailboxes...bye bye satellite bitches!
mrz2u